A little early update this week.

Not sure if I'll have time later this week, with how hectic it has been, so I'm updating now.

So let's get to the chapter.

Patience was a virtue, and she had plenty of it. This plan would take time to unfold as she envisioned it. But she could envision the chaos it would cause when it was finally enacted.

There were a few things that worried her. The pace of gathering the necessary materials for her plan was going excruciatingly slow. The Huntsman who worked for Ozpin had returned despite Emerald and Mercury's redirection attempts. It didn't seem like he was staying for long; however, it was suspicious that he had returned.

Who were these girls that he met? Family, perhaps? Someone they could use against them.

And the mysterious kids he had a conversation with? A very young Huntsman and In-Training Huntress from what she had learned. Both had been given their license the same day she arrived, and the Huntress would be attending Beacon soon. That couldn't be a coincidence.

Ozpin had to be involved.

There was also the issue of them running roughshod through the underground. It was clear they were searching for someone—no, not someone.

Her.

"Roman," Cinder passively set aside the data record she had been reading on the Dust crate beside her. "Our production seems quite slow, and Huntsman and police involvement have stunted several operations. I understand that you and Adam don't quite work well with one another, but we have the numbers to run this more efficiently. What precisely is the problem?"

The auburn-haired man turned to her with a scowl and tapped his cane. "Thievery on this scale isn't as easy as you would believe. We may have the numbers, but the challenge of working within the city isn't that. It's about skill and efficiency. And as for Adam, skilled as he may be, it is difficult to build rapport. We work better with our partners."

"Ah, yes. You brought this to my attention before." Cinder drummed her fingers on the crate. She recalled hearing about a partner who had worked with Roman through the news reports.

And if she remembered correctly, she met a young Faunus girl who stood at Adam's side when she first met him and asked for his assistance. She was not there the second time when she took control.

Cinder repressed a scowl. Relying on another was a weakness. Her eyes ignited passionately. Even she wasn't above using others. At least, not yet.

Her power was incomplete. She still had to rely on Emerald and Mercury. She had to use these people to accomplish what she desired. But when their task was complete, she would collect the rest of the power which was rightfully promised to her…

And she would never need to work with someone again.

Until then…

"This partner of yours…" Cinder slowly turned to Roman. "Refresh my memory, if you wouldn't mind."

"What precisely happened to them?"

This seriously couldn't be happening. What was he thinking?

Blake refrained from scowling, only throwing a shaded and annoyed glance toward Naruto before turning away without a sound. They both knew that their contact's nieces had followed them. But why invite them over and ask for their assistance? All it was doing was bring more trouble and them!

Maybe even annoying their allies!

Blake repressed a sigh. She could understand… Yang, was it? …She seemed skilled. Probably was a Huntress-in-Training if the muscle tone and cocky attitude were anything to go by. Not to mention, if she had a guess, the two metallic wristbands were a weapon.

Especially if she was carrying shotgun shell clips on her belt.

Her little sister Ruby was the issue. She couldn't have been older than Blake when she ran from home to join the White Fang. And that was the problem.

She was far from ready when she took on that responsibility. She wasn't mature enough. She didn't feel like that now that she was given a second chance to become a Huntress and help people.

That responsibility felt like it was too much for even two years later. It wasn't something that should be put on a young girl…

Especially when it felt like they were about to take on a mob!

Blake shook her head. No, she was thinking too much about this. He simply asked if they knew how to get the information from the thug's scroll. It seemed like the younger sister did, and that was quite impressive.

The fact she was taking it apart worried her…

And what was this that bird? It was squawking a little much for her liking. Wait…

Was it watching them?

Blake's eyes sharpened. That was… Unusual.

"Seriously?" Yang huffed, glowering and scrunching her brow, observing the police they had called to apprehend the perps that attacked Naruto and Blake. She growled and tapped her foot. "Gah, that makes sense why he was distracted and didn't seem invested in playing with us as he typically is… Reeked of booze, too."

"Well, more than normal," Ruby added somberly, wincing before she returned to work on tinkering with the insides of the scroll. Yang gave a simple sigh and nod of acceptance as Ruby picked out a chip from the scroll. "It also explains why he hasn't been around the last two months. He's been out tracking those guys."

Naruto struggled not to focus entirely on what she was doing. Taking something apart and knowing what to do was a marvel to him. He was good at taking things apart or breaking them. Fixing it was the issue.

Huh? Why did she pull out her scroll? And plucking that one specific chip? Was she about to put it into hers?

"I can't blame him. I can't say for sure what I would do if someone attacked and left my friend in such a state, but I think I would do the same." Yang snarled at the thought while clenching her fists at her side. A fire shone in her eyes as her gaze met Naruto's. "You've got to let us help you."

"Why? This was a job we were hired for. Given your connection to our contact, you would likely be a liability if something were to happen to you." Blake asked, her eyes retrained to Yang and lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Yo, what does that mean? You trying to start something? I can handle myself!" Yang snapped, rage boiling within.

"Yang, please, don't." Ruby stopped as she put the chip into her scroll and attempted to reason with her sister. "It's a valid reason…"

"Land a single hit on me, and you're in. Deal?" Naruto interrupted, drawing everyone's attention toward him.

Blake frowned. That determined expression. Was Naruto really considering… Blake let out an exasperated sigh and gave Naruto an exhausted glare.

Of course, he would be. How many times in the story did he ask to be a part of a mission? And even more times, he would force his way into a mission that was personal for him or his friends, regardless of whether he was asked to come or not.

It was just a part of who he was.

However…

Landing a single hit on him?

Blake wasn't sure she could. She knew he had been training to control his Aura since she met him and had seen him in action. Well… The blur of his actions. Sometimes.

Naruto had to restrain his hits to keep from harming anyone. Despite that, he had precise control over it. The only person she could remember that he directly hit and didn't break their Aura and knock them down or out in a single shot was that Neo girl they came across.

Honestly, she wanted to ask if she could train with him… Learn from a true ninja, even if, in many ways, he was the polar opposite of it…

He still had those skills. His trap-making was terrific! She wanted to learn how to be as effective as that!

"Yo, seriously?" Yang blinked, stunned by Naruto's simple request.

"Yup!" Naruto chirped before a sly grin crossed his features. "Don't think that's easy…"

Yang's eyes widened. He disappeared! With a trace or a sound!

She swiveled her head all around, searching for him. Even Ruby and his partner were scouting for him, unable to track where he went. Until Ruby's eyes locked in behind her, and she felt him tap her on the shoulder. "Cause I'm not gonna simply let you hit me."

Yang turned back, her expression muddled with surprise and horror despite his bright smile and laugh. She shivered.

He was in a class of his own. Despite how difficult it was to keep up, she could track her Dad and Uncle Qrow. This kid, approximately her age, was somehow beyond that.

"But we'll do that later. Somewhere more suited and with less prying eyes." Naruto laughed, sitting back down at the stand, and his eyes glistened at the sight of the Udon, which he hadn't finished. "I wanna finish my lunch! That should give your sister enough time to… Finish what she's doing."

"I'm done." Ruby grinned as she opened her scroll. "I can't hack, but I know a thing or two about the mechanics of a scroll and how it is put together. So I added his data to my scrolls."

"That's possible?" Blake's ears perked in surprise.

"I'll be honest, I wasn't sure until I did it!" Ruby let off a short, uneasy laugh as everyone gave her a squinted, disbelieving glare. "But it worked. I can sift through it and show you what you want to know!"

"Eh, whatever. It worked, and that's what matters," Naruto shook his head before his features became rigid and stoic. "Can you look into anything about last night? Anything from who he made a call to or his location?"

"Any particular reason why? This doesn't seem related to your job." Yang frowned, raising her eyebrow at the request. "These guys seem like goons to me. I wouldn't be surprised if their boss pulled some strings and bailed them out."

"That is what bothers me. It shouldn't be that easy." A stoic expression crossed Naruto's features as he furrowed his brow in thought. "I don't have any information of where they might be. Making waves into the underground and shaking down their bosses might be how I learn something."

"And this situation stinks," Naruto added, scrunching his nose and glowering. "Call it a gut feeling; Nix is somehow involved. And if it takes kicking the hornet's nest to get that information…"

"Well, my boot is laced up and ready to go!"

This view was magnificent.

He sat at his desk, observing the city's hustle and bustle through the window of his office of his glorious hotel from high. He never tired of the sight of the hundreds of people wandering through the streets to get where they needed to go. Watching many more enter his empire to give him their business.

Ah, what a lovely day this was despite the annoyances of the night. All these gullible fools were simply walking wallets for him to pilfer and profit from.

"Don't worry. Everything is taken care of. I appreciate all of your support, Jacq. I will have your room booked throughout the festival. I wasn't aware your daughter would take part." A balm man in a white suit sat at his desk, legs crossed.

"I would hope she wouldn't, as I am against such barbarism. Alas, she is skilled. I have no doubt she will compete in the tournament and do well. I simply wish to bear witness to this foolish desire."

"And see if she's like your eldest, no?" The man quipped with a smirk. "Say, don't you have a boy too?"

"Ah, Whitley is fine, proper gentlemen. Quite an acute business sense, just like his father. He would be a grand heir… Alas, his mother demands we follow tradition…"

"Pain in the ass, I say. Family isn't always worthy of inheriting power. I have a pain in the ass cousin who I only keep on my payroll to appease my sister. Otherwise, I would fire him without a second thought." The man growled on this scroll, narrowing as he felt it ring in his grasp again. "Speak of the devil…"

"Heh. We both have obligations we don't desire to deal with, Nix. Well, I will talk to you when we visit later this year, old friend. I expect to have your best service when I arrive."

"Nothing less than the red carpet will be rolled out for your arrival, Jacq. I will see you soon. Better take this and see what trouble he's caused me now." Nix glowered as he bid his friend farewell and switched the call. "What now, Cornel? That brat better be dealt with…"

"Well, about that… Things didn't go according to plan…"

"You no good, lousy, fucking idiot!" Nix's scroll snapped as he screamed over the line. With a hiss caught in his throat, he tossed the remains on his desk before pushing himself up. "Silvia! Get me a new scroll and clear out my schedule!"

"I have a special matter to attend to."

Who was this boy?

Why was her brother working with him? Why didn't it seem like he was bothered that his nieces were following after him and his partner?

He was talented, although it was his partner who recognized she was there. Didn't realize what she was, however. Not many could…

Still, he took care of those thugs effortlessly. He was strong. Very strong. Someone to keep around when the day finally came.

But that wasn't a reason for Qrow to work with someone. There was something more to this. And given who he was hired to go after, her stomach wrenched.

That group was the last she wanted them to encounter… Even if it was inevitably their fate to cross paths. They all would be forced to confront that nightmare soon enough.

But now was not that time. They weren't strong enough yet. They needed to be stronger…

So she could take them and bring them home. Keep them safe.

Clicking her tongue, she cawed several times. Since her brother was not going to monitor this situation, she would have to.

Hm? Did the boy finally notice…

She squawked as a ninja knife deflected off the street light where she perched before. She barely had time to take off to avoid it. Her eyes sharpened onto the boy.

Did he…

"Why did you do that?" Her daughter questioned, glancing over toward where she was flying. "I know the stupid bird is annoying, but it doesn't do anything."

"So you're used to being watched by someone else?" The Faunus boy lifted his eyebrow curiously.

"What do you mean by someone? That's a bird. One that's followed me since I was a kid." Yang scrunched her features as she flew further away.

"Never mind. Guess it doesn't matter if it's your guardian angel or something like that…" He mumbled, his eyes tracing her as she landed far away. "For now, let's head somewhere else to test ya and see that determination of yours."

"Oh, I'll show you just how determined I am! Let's go! I know a few places around here that would be great to avoid collateral damage!" Yang declared before pointing out toward Bumblebee.

Her crimson eyes sharpened as she watched the children follow her daughter. Her gaze was intent on the Faunus boy, carefully examining him.

That was interesting. He knew she wasn't a raven.

"Okay, now I can see why Oz wanted this kid to work for him." Her form shifted as she sat atop the building, observing the children below.

"He is something else entirely."

Blake couldn't help but shiver, disconcerted by what she saw. Naruto was slightly perturbed, glancing around the half-finished buildings and dust-covered construction equipment.

This city was massive. How long had this been abandoned, and how had he not come across this portion of the city before? Why was nothing here?

"Mah, it's quiet here beside the highway over this place." Naruto mused, taking in the despondent sight of the lifeless cityscape. "Is this a construction site or something? It would explain why no one is here or why it was roped off."

He wasn't wrong. This place was vacant. Not a soul around. Just unfinished structures and the bridge with traffic driving by without stopping.

What happened here? Why was a section of Vale like this?

"It was," Ruby frowned, looking upon the vacant lot and exhaling. "This was supposed to be a new district built to house Vale's growing population. However, the project suffered from a lack of funds or whatever, I'm not sure what happened. The construction just stopped. No warning, no nothing. That was about three years ago, if I remember."

"Yeah, I think one of the project's key contributors passed away or something like that. Vanille, I think? I don't remember his name, I'll be honest. What I remember was that he was the district's mayor we passed through to arrive here. He kept winning elections as he always seemed like he was for the people, trying to expand the city to grow." Yang added after furrowing her brow for a moment of thought. She then flashed a smile while placing her hand on her hip. "But, that does make this a good place to fight…"

"Or a good place for someone to hide and hide something," Naruto glanced at Blake with a knowing expression.

"I hate that you're right and how I didn't know about this place. This will take some time to scope out," Blake scowled, taking in the abandoned district.

"I can't say that's surprising. There's a lot about Vale I still don't know about." Yang frowned, glancing around and grimacing. "But you're not wrong. This would be a good place to hide or to hide something… I could help you instead? Don't have to embarrass you."

"Mah, I think you might be a little overconfident…" Naruto's lips quivered, almost frowning before a wide grin stretched ear from ear. "I like that kind of fire. Let's see what you got… And you too, if you are coming with."

"Huh?" Ruby gawked, stunned, as Naruto turned his gaze to her. "Wait, me? But I don't have an In-training license…"

"That doesn't matter. You decided to follow us. If you're going to keep following, I need to know you can handle yourself. But even more than that… I need to see something else." Naruto sternly warned Ruby before a thin smile crossed his expression.

"Something else?" Ruby blinked, pursing her lips curiously. "Something like what?"

"I'll tell you if I see it!" Naruto beamed as Ruby almost face-faulted.

"Gah, fine! If you want both of us, so be it! That'll make things too easy! Come on Rubes! Let's show him what we're capable of." Yang glowered, his fists cocked and her gauntlets engaging before she launched herself forward.

"Wait, Yang!" Ruby cried, losing her balance as his sister burst ahead.

"Oh, neat." Naruto grinned before as he quickly stepped back and avoided her first serious of blows. And on the start of the next, he caught her forearm beneath the gauntlet and grinned. "You're right. This will be too easy!"

"Huh… Whoa!" Yang had a moment of confusion before she felt considerable pain throughout her arm. He yanked it! And spun her around…

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm not ready!" Ruby cried, barely leaping above Yang as she was tossed in her direction. She released a sigh of relief. She immediately winced, seeing her sister crash and come to a stop on the concrete before sighing again, withdrawing Crescent Rose from the sheath on her back. "That looks painful… Guess I'm doing this."

"Yup." Terror engulfed Ruby as she heard Naruto's voice. Felt his hand slip into her hood.

"No, no, no! I'm not ready!" Ruby wailed as she felt the world around her blur in a puddle of colors.

He threw her so fast she couldn't keep up with the world around her!

"Ugh!" Ruby collided with something that released a gasp. She knew it was Yang as they collapsed and crumbled to the ground together, her lying on top of her sister. "Sorry… But thanks for catching me."

"No problem… Ugh…" Yang released a pained groan as Ruby rolled off. She slowly picked herself off the ground and glared at gleeful Naruto. She wanted to smack that smirk off his face…

But she held herself back. She recognized what this was. This was exactly like when her father played seriously. And she didn't stand a chance when he did.

"Yang, we have to work together," Ruby spoke, having thoughts similar to those of her sister. "He's too fast and strong… He threw me faster than I could register the world!"

"Yeah, so we have to make this next one count. I don't think I can take catching you again." Yang crossed eyes with her sister, a thin smirk twitching on her lips. "You thinkin' what I am?"

Ruby's eyes lit up, and she matched her sister's expression, her eyes sparkling brightly. Her scythe cocked, and a shell popped out. "Oh, you know it."

"Wait, is that a gun too?" Naruto marveled at Crescent Rose's design, almost missing the action.

However, his smile grew as he watched Yang latch onto Ruby's scythe, whipped her around, and tossed her ahead with all her strength. With a boost of speed as rose petals swirled violently behind Ruby, she fired the burst mechanism from her scythe, and her velocity increased even further.

She was a mere inch away from hitting him with the blade of her scythe.

But what was more impressive was that her sister was coming in for the follow-up and takedown, locked and loaded. Ready to throw the hardest punch of her life as a golden fire lit up around her.

Naruto almost wanted to let them get it. Almost.

"Ahk!" Ruby cried, casually being caught and sent skidding into the ground, rolling ahead several times. She quickly popped up and regained her feet, turning toward Naruto to see if Yang's follow-through worked.

"You've gotta be kidding me! How? That should have been enough force to punch through anything!" Yang roared, her aura burning brightly as her fist was locked into Naruto's palm, unable to budge him.

Ruby's eyes flickered widely as she watched her sister's arm tremble, and Naruto shifted it to the side with little effort, smiling as he did. "It was a pretty good shot… You pass!"

"Huh?" Three separate voices resonated in confusion.

"Why? They didn't…" Blake added, her face scrunched in furious thought.

"Yeah. Gotta say I don't follow." Yang flexed her wrist after Naruto released her hand, bewildered.

"It was never about getting a hit on me." Naruto showed a smidgeon of disappointment as he scrunched his face. Even Blake didn't understand? She should have caught the meaning of the test immediately.

She read his story!

"It was to see if we could work together. We're not strong enough to take on a Huntsman or Huntress alone. " Naruto's attention shifted to Ruby and beamed as she continued to explain. "We wouldn't stand a chance against a trained Huntsman or Huntress. Whoever attacked Uncle Qrow's friend has to be that skilled. What could we do against a foe like that? I'm still at Signal, and you're heading to Beacon in a month."

"We wouldn't stand a chance. Not without working together." Yang admitted with a grimace.

Blake's eyes widened. She cursed under her breath. Of course, that was what Naruto was testing… How did she not see that? That was the first lesson he was taught!

"Correct!" Naruto's bright grin slowly shifted to a somber demeanor. "Working as a team was a lesson I was taught long ago. Sometimes, there's just someone out there who's better than you in every way. Someone you can't beat on your own. I wanted to see if that happened, how you would react… And you proved to me that you could!"

"I guess… But you could have held back. That hurt." Yang grumbled, rubbing her chest, still feeling the after-effects of Ruby being tossed into her.

"I did!" Naruto quipped and laughed. "I mean, if you were gonna help us scope this area out, I didn't want to hurt ya!"

"Are you serious?" Yang blanched in horror, and Ruby gawked in amazement and fear.

If that was him going easy…

"I'm going to go ahead. We have a lot of ground to cover. We should get started." Blake broke the moment, turning away with a wave as she took to the closest alley. "I'll be in contact. Don't lose your scroll or turn it off again, would you? If we're working as a team, we need to be in communication."

"That was one time!" Naruto grumbled, reaching for his scroll and checking it to ensure it was on.

She wouldn't let that go. This was a new piece of technology for him!

How was he supposed to know he accidentally turned it off?!

It had been a long day. It was a long night as well.

Tapping his foot as he leaned back in his chair, he laid his feet on the desk. He flippantly tossed his report to the side in an uncaring fashion. He didn't want to look at it any longer. It was annoying him. He barely slept last night as it was! Why did he have to read the report about it?

How did they get caught again? Why did he think it was wise to go after the same Huntsman twice? Just because he was a kid didn't mean anything! Kids these days were something else…

Especially that redhead from Mistral. Strong and alluring…

He exhaled. When he saw Cornel last night, he knew the next few days would be annoying. The man got on his nerves and proved it by getting booked a second time today. If only the idiot didn't work for Nix, he could have shown him who was in charge.

Make him scream…

Unfortunately, he couldn't do that. His job was secure as long as he did what his pops said. It didn't matter if someone ended up with a broken jaw or arm in lock-up for not listening to instructions.

He was secure both in the station and outside. Not only did he have a connection with Nix, but he also had a few ins in other places…

He was untouchable.

His eyes sharpened as his scroll rang. Who could be calling on his personal line? There were only a few people who he even lent his number…

"Hugo, we need to talk." A slick voice resonated on the other end of the scroll after he answered.

"Oh, it's you." He answered the scroll, his lax tone showing a hint of annoyance. "You know I can't get you access to her. She's too heavily guarded for someone like me to get close. Not without a distraction or something."

"Well, never fear, my dear Hugo. I have something in mind." The smooth as butter voice responded. He could almost see the grin. "I have a few friends that I want you to arrest tonight. You bring them in, and they'll do the rest."

"Is that so?" Hugo rolled his eyes while his fingers tapped the back of his scroll absently. "May I ask, what's the fee? I'm doing something this risky without a hefty price."

"Name the price," Hugo sat up straight, holding the scrolling closely. Did he really just…

"Any price?"

"Whatever you ask for, within reason." The voice's tone took a much more sinister edge. "My partner is important to me. I'll do whatever it takes to bring her back to my side."

"So, what's your price?"

And chapter finished. I hope you enjoyed!

I'm starting to introduce concepts and storylines from the original while revamping them and the characters within. Two major early villains have made their appearance, but this time we're getting a look into what Cinder, Adam and Roman are doing.

Do want to ask, would your rather once a week, or as I finish the chapters? My current writing pace is about once a week anyway, but it may free up a second update every now and then.

Like always, if you got a moment, I would to hear from you. I could really use the motivation right now. Work and life in general have been sapping my energy and hearing from you always makes my day.

Until next time my friends, Peace.